The Mediators
by bunny girl1
Summary: CHAPTER 3 UP! Suze has just moved to Carmel, new life, yadda yadda, you know the rest...but this time, she's got a ghost-busting buddy. Introducing: Suze and Jesse, (living) mediator team! It's our favorite tales of the supernatural with a twist!
1. I'm not the only mediator!

A/N: Yay, a new story!  
  
......................Don't look at me like that!  
  
.......................Alright, well if you're one of the ones following my apocalyptic demon/angel trilogy thing, I assure you I'm not giving it up. It's simply on a temporary hiatus while I revamp the plot. I know the ending, I just need to figure out what happens in between, so relax, breathe, good things take time................  
  
Anyway, I've been pining for a while to get back to something a little more "classic mediator", so I'm writing this one with every intention to just have fun. No pressure.  
  
Read, and enjoy......  
  
The Mediator(s) Chapter 1  
  
My life is a joke. A big freakin' joke. Ha-freakin'-ha.  
  
These were the first thoughts that popped into my head the moment I clapped eyes on locker number 273. My brand new locker, in my brand new school, in my brand-spanking new life in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.  
  
This wasn't fair. It just wasn't. I mean, even the house was clean. It was three-hundred years old, huge, reeked of haunted-ness, and had gunshots on the walls for god's sake...but it had been clean. Not a hint of ectoplasm to be seen.  
  
But...now...right when I was starting to feel normal...  
  
"Who the hell are you?" the annoying blonde standing in front of my new locker demanded. Only she didn't say "hell".  
  
I shut my eyes. Okay. Susannah Simon, you are a mediator, and you are doomed to be one forever and all eternity. Yeah, it sucks. But life sucks. And death isn't looking much better. So just give up any notion of ever having a moment of peace in your life. Give up any dream of not being a freak, and just--  
  
"Hey!" her high-pitched screech interrupted my self-therapy. "I asked you a question, bitch!"  
  
I opened my eyes and glared at her, thoroughly pissed. If the way she backed up the slightest bit was any indication, I hadn't lost my touch during my last ghost-less 24 hours.  
  
"Say that again," I dared.  
  
She looked me up and down, and grinned. "Bitch."  
  
A moment later, she was a crumpled heap on the floor, and there was a huge dent across the row of lockers that I had thrown her into.  
  
Ok, I will admit that my methods of--um--"helping" lost souls get to the other side are a bit unorthodox. But you know, I never asked to be the bridge between this world and the next. I never asked to have supernatural beings talk to me, and beg me for help, and try to beat me up. So yeah, sometimes I just have to beat back! Ok, most of the times.  
  
Um...alright, so throwing the dead girl into the lockers wasn't really necessary, and I could so tell she was dead, cause of her tell-tale otherworldly glow...but hey, I grew up in New York. It's a tough place, ya know? Someone calls you a bitch, you gotta show 'em what you're made of.  
  
Um...yeah.  
  
The girl looked up at me from the floor with wild eyes, then she scrambled to her feet and ran down the hallway. I saw her pass through the door to the girl's bathroom. Did she even know she could dematerialize, yet? She must have died very recently...  
  
"Oh, shit," I groaned out, running my fingers through my hair. I had totally screwed that one up. I was just so pissed about another ghost popping up to mess up my life, that I totally forgot about what I'm here for. What my point in life is.  
  
To help ghosts. Not give them knuckle sandwiches before I even know their names. To help them get to the other side. I sighed...oh well. She would be back. And if worst came to worst, she would probably still be haunting the girl's bathroom later today.  
  
I stepped up to my slightly dented locker, and it opened with a loud, rusty moan. Yep, I already managed to break my brand-new locker...  
  
That was when I got a feeling. Sort of a chilly feeling--you know, back of neck pricking, electric shock running down spine? I jolted up, and stood stock-still. Someone was behind me. Perfectly still. Watching silently. Definitely alive. As if I haven't got enough dead stalkers, I need a living one, too.  
  
Well, I don't seem to have any problems with going head-to-head with ghosts...so why was I so afraid to turn around now? Fear wasn't an emotion I was too familiar with, but when it came, I recognized it right away.  
  
Deep breath, deep breath...  
  
I spun around, my face in the best death-glare I could muster at the moment. (No wonder I only have one friend, ha) Unfortunately, my psuedo- toughness fell away the moment I saw him.  
  
Yes, he was a guy. Quite a guy. He had a beautifully chiseled face, and his black, slightly messy/spiky hair fell over his face, partially covering one eye. Leaving the other dark, perfectly shaped eye watching me, his eyebrow a sexy and slightly dangerous-looking arch. A perfect nose...perfect, high cheekbones...and oh man, look at those lips...slightly curled at one end, in...in...  
  
...amusement?!  
  
Hold the phone--nobody--NOBODY--smirks in amusement at Susannah Simon, not even tall well-built absolutely godly male-variety (living) humanoids!  
  
"Can I help you?" I asked in an annoyed tone.  
  
He folded his arms over his chest, and continued to observe me, looking thoughtful. Finally, he opened his mouth (SWOON), but quickly shut it again, like he couldn't decide just what to say.  
  
"What, what? Is there something on my face?"  
  
Smooth, Suze. Really, really smooth. I bet the guy is falling all over himself to ask you on a date.  
  
He sighed quietly, and brushed his hair out of his face.  
  
Oh god...what heavenly body did this yummy man hail from?????  
  
"No," he breathed out.  
  
No...no...no...he just said no.....................................................  
  
............................................................................ ....................  
  
............................................................................ ....................  
  
............................................................................ ....................  
  
............................................................................ ....................  
  
.........................................in the softest, silkiest voice I have ever heard, complete with a slightly Latino accent.  
  
Boy, I don't fall often, but when I do, I fall HARD.  
  
"Um, erm...'no' what?"  
  
"No, there's nothing on your face," he said, staring hard at a spot near my feet.  
  
Is it just me, or is there something slightly awkward about this moment?  
  
"Well, then...then what is it? Ya know, I need to get to class soon..."  
  
He took a few steps closer to me. I ignored the impulse to back up. He looked around quickly and took one last stride, until our faces were inches apart. My eyes went wide as saucers, and he studied me in his weird, thoughtful way for a second before leaning towards me slowly...closer...closer...um, er, past my lips, uh...ok, neck, I can go for that...not quite there...(Suze, what the hell are you thinking?)...  
  
"You see dead people," he whispered by my ear.  
  
......................................oh.  
  
Ohhhhh.  
  
"Um..."  
  
I thought about my options...hot guy that you've never met before watches you in a slightly creepy way, then becomes awkward, then looks like he's gonna kiss you, then goes all Sixth Sense on you...I could tell him the truth, that yeah, I am a proud freak of nature, thank you very much. I could tell him no, now piss off jerk...but that wouldn't be very nice. Or I could grab his face and kiss him, but that would be slightly wrong. Hmmmm...  
  
"...yeah."  
  
He backed away from me slowly, and I realized that I had been breathing rather loudly. I took one look at his slightly crooked smile, and looked down in embarrassment. We were silent for a moment, and I noticed how the hall had crowded considerably since I came here. He didn't seem to care too much potential gossip monglers...and it looked like there were several dumb blondes watching us very intently from across the hall.  
  
"Do you have a name, querida?" I heard him say from above me. Don't know what that means, but it sounds nice...  
  
"...Suze..." I mumbled.  
  
Looking down, I saw his big strong-looking hand wrap around mine. He gently lifted my hand to his lips, and I'm pretty sure I blushed for the first time in my life as I felt his soft, smooth lips brush over the back of it.  
  
"Susannah...I am Jesse, and I am honored to meet a fellow mediator."  
  
Uhhhhhh...................SAY WHAT?????????  
  
I was in so much shock that I didn't even correct him when he called me 'Susannah', a name I absolutely loathe, though not as much as 'Susie'.  
  
"Is it alright if I meet you here after school? We must talk."  
  
"Uhhhhh..................."  
  
"I'll take that as a yes," he said with a smile. ".....welcome to Junipero Academy."  
  
With that, he turned, and strolled down the hall without a backwards glance. I watched him until the incoming tide of students blocked him from view. The gathering crowd of blondes across the hall were now whispering loudly and obviously.  
  
But I didn't care.  
  
I just stared at my hand in disbelief.  
  
I could still feel those lips...  
  
...I'm not the only freak who can speak to the dead. I just always assumed...  
  
But I was wrong.  
  
I am not the only mediator.  
  
o.O  
  
A/N: Short, I know. Just a little set up...please REVIEW, and let me know what you think....(It's as I crappy as I think it is, isn't it? Sigh......well, it should get better, I've got some interesting ideas..)  
  
TTFN 


	2. The Mediating Team

A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews! I feel loved! Kk, here's more of my weird ficcie.......  
  
The Mediators Chapter 2  
  
...........I am still not the only mediator.  
  
I can tell because that dark Adonis is sitting two lunch tables away from me, and when he spotted me, he waved lightly. Then he proceeded to laugh a big, deep laugh at a joke one of the jocks had made—he was sitting at the same table as Dopey, WHAT was up with that?—and it hadn't been some stupid thing my psycho mind made up. He really was a mediator like me, and he really kissed my hand (SWOON). Kelly Prescott, who I "introduced" myself to earlier that morning, was sitting beside him, making googly eyes and attempting to whisper tantalizingly in his ear, but he acted like she wasn't even here. He didn't seem to be eating anything for lunch...  
  
...Ok, yeah—so I was watching him. So sue me. God made guys like that for a reason...  
  
Oh shit—he just looked over!  
  
"Um, Suze, do you need help with your homework?" Cee Cee asked, peering over my shoulder.  
  
I snapped my head back into place, partially because of Cee Cee, and partially because I had a sinking feeling Jesse was now smirking because of me.  
  
"Huh? Um...no..."  
  
Cee Cee Webb. Less than a day at this new school, and I already have a friend. Does this mean I have a life?  
  
"Are you sure...?"  
  
She eyed me with those purple eyes of her. I finally glanced down at the sheet of Algebra I had pulled out with every intention of coaxing Cee Cee, resident genius, to—um—"help" me with—and promptly realized why she was looking at me so funny. On my paper, where there should have been many X's and Y's, there was only one word written over and over again by my oddly self-aware hand.  
  
"Ack—" I quickly swept the paper off the table, but it was too late.  
  
"Jesse, eh?" Adam McTavish, my other "friend" (GO SUZE!) said, his eyes twinkling. "What do you want with an unattainable jock like that, when you can have THIS?" He flexed his arm for emphasis, and I gave an unladylike snort. "What? I'm all man, babe."  
  
Cee Cee smacked him playfully over the head. "You're a joke, Adam."  
  
She was SO crushing on him.  
  
"And anyway, he's not a jock." She pushed her glasses farther up her nose, and crossed her legs smartly, balancing her Critical Lit text book on one knee. "He's a guitar god."  
  
I blinked. "A...a what?"  
  
"A guitar god, Suze." She looked me square in the eyes. "Even more unattainable than a jock—as if I would want to attain one, anyway."  
  
A guitar god? I'm...intrigued.  
  
.......Alright, I admit it. I am SO crushing on him.  
  
And he's a mediator. That's a plus for me, right?  
  
I glanced back the table, but he was gone. So was Kelly. Hmmm...  
  
"Give it up, Suze," Adam said with a sigh. "It's a shame...most girls don't know what they've got until it's gone."  
  
I rolled my eyes at him.  
  
"Same with most guys," I heard Cee Cee mutter under her breath. Adam didn't quite catch that one.  
  
I turned and scanned the area, getting acquainted with the faces of my fellow student body.  
  
........Ok, ok, so I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesse. And hoping that he wasn't getting cozy with Kelly. That would just be...ewww.  
  
As I sat idly gazing at the future of America blowing loogies at one another, my eyes came to rest upon one boy in particular. He was at a table a little separate from the rest of us, next to someone who was face- down on the table, dead asleep. I recognized the shirt...that was Sleepy. Figures. Anyways, the guy was pretty cute (nothing on Jesse), but he had the saddest look on his face...  
  
"Why, Suze, why must you always look at JOCKS?"  
  
Cee Cee gave him another smack. "That's Bryce Martinsen," she said without glancing up from her text book. Is it me, or is she enjoying reading that? "Do you still need help with your homework?"  
  
"Why does he look so sad?" I asked, ignoring her question.  
  
"His girlfriend Heather just killed herself," Adam said, grinning creepily. "Splattered her brains all over his front porch when he dumped her."  
  
Wow...that was stupid.  
  
Cee Cee slapped her book shut, and gave him the smack to end all smacks.  
  
"Was she the dumb blonde cheerleader type?" I asked coolly, suppressing my slowly approaching "AH-HAH!".  
  
"As a matter in fact, she was," Adam mumbled, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Cee Cee.  
  
AH-HAH! So she's the one haunting my locker...  
  
I suddenly got that prickly feeling on the back of my neck again. I glanced up quickly, and spotted Jesse walking back to his table, with Kelly following close behind. She looked close to tears, and he looked extremely pissed. I wondered vaguely what had just happened...  
  
It happened after lunch, as we were shuffling back to our classes. Cee Cee was chatting enthusiastically about some article she had planned for the newspaper, and Adam was a little ways behind us, still rubbing his head and pouting. I was wondering how to possibly deal with Heather...ok, ok...I was wondering what the hell Jesse had been up to with Kelly. And wondering why the hell I cared. I mean, I'm not one to get obsessive over a guy. But...there was something about this guy. I just felt...strangely...possessive of him, I have to admit. I don't know why. He said all of five sentences to me, and kissed my hand. Then turned around and walked away. And said he'd meet me after school...  
  
SWOON.  
  
That was when I caught the hint of a spectral glow at the corner of my eye. I turned, and saw...surprise, surprise, Heather had left the girls' bathroom. And she was staring pointedly at something. I followed her line of vision, and saw...Bryce, shuffling along slowly a little ways ahead of us. I looked back at Heather, and noticed the look of hate slowly contorting her features...  
  
...and I noticed that the breezeway above our heads was rumbling ominously. Specifically, the piece of wood directly over Bryce's head. Ah...It seems Heather had at last awakened to her ghostly psychic powers. And it seems she's out for revenge...  
  
Well, as a mediator, I've been through this type of thing repeatedly back in New York. Without even thinking, I dashed at Bryce, just as a ear- splittingly loud crack sounded through the hallway. Time seemed to slow down...so slow, that I saw every detail in that moment. This tends to happen in these situations...I often wonder if it's something to do with mediation. I saw Bryce's eyes widen at the sound, not realizing he was about to be smashed into bloody pulp...I reached out for him...and I was suddenly shoved back roughly, skidding back three steps and falling magnificently on my ass.  
  
As the block of wood crashed to the floor, there were resounding screams up and down the hallway. As chaos inevitably ensued, and as Cee Cee and Adam rushed over to me, kneeling beside me and repeatedly demanding to know if I was okay...I could only stare at the cloud of dust hovering over the pile of fallen breezeway in shock. I was actually shaking.  
  
"Suze!" Cee Cee screeched in my ear. "Suze, say something!"  
  
"The rest of the breezeway'll fall on us!!!!" I heard somebody's distant yell, and the screaming started over again. Several students, barely visible in the slowly dissipating cloud of plaster, were frantically lifting chunks of wood off the floor. I couldn't hear what they were saying...  
  
And I just stared...it had fallen right on top of him. Right on top of both of them. And I couldn't have stopped it...  
  
I...I failed. Totally failed. They were both dead. Oh my god...  
  
"Everybody, calm down! Relax—relax! Quiet, please!" I saw a tall, aging man make his way slowly through the squirming throng. I recognized him as the principal of the school, Father Dominic. He stopped in his tracks as he spotted the damage, and a strange silence suddenly fell over the hallway. "...what...what has happened here?"  
  
That was when I stood up, slowly, my head pounding with a sudden headache. There was a sick feeling in my stomach.  
  
"Part of the breezeway fell on top of someone," I heard from somewhere behind me.  
  
"Oh dear God!" Father Dom breathed, and rushed forward. I saw an indistinct shape slowly rise from the rubble. Father Dom rushed toward the moaning figure.  
  
I failed...I failed...but...at least one of them was alive...one of them....which one...?  
  
He limped out of the hovering mist which was quickly being swept up and out through the ceiling, propped up by two jock-looking types.  
  
Bryce. It was Bryce. He didn't look too hurt...sprained ankle maybe...  
  
But where was Jesse?  
  
Without realizing what I was doing, I rushed forward a bit, afraid of what I might see...  
  
...And I could have cried in relief. Jesse was sitting up slowly, having just missed the main part of the falling wood by mere inches. There was blood running down the side of his face, which seemed to be stemming from a cut somewhere on his forehead. Father Dom and several students were fussing over him, but he waved them away with an annoyed look and stood up. He immediately turned to me, as if he knew I was there all along, and his hair fell over his face again, covering his bloody eye. He looked...well, annoyed.  
  
"You got in my way, Susannah," he said quietly.  
  
W—WHAT?????  
  
My concern for his health suddenly and mysteriously fell away.  
  
"Um, excuse me? But YOU got in MY way," I hissed out in sudden vehemence.  
  
He took a quick step towards me, and started wagging his finger in my face like a reprimanding parent. "I am the one who will take care of the dangerous situations in this school," he whispered dangerously. "So you just keep away from danger like a good little girl, and you won't get hurt—"  
  
Something in me snapped. Nobody...NOBODY insinuates that I am a weak "little girl". I snatched his finger away from my face, gripping it perhaps a bit tighter than necessary. The same hand that gently held mine earlier today, I now felt like crushing in my rush of anger.  
  
"I am not a 'good little girl', Jesse. I'm a mediator, just like you, and I will do whatever I think is necessary to—"  
  
"Break it up, you two," Father Dom said, pulling us gently apart. "Jesse, you will accompany Bryce and I to the nurse's office immediately. All other students, please report to your classes. There is nothing more to see here."  
  
Jesse gave me one last look over his shoulder, then followed Father Dom.  
  
So...he was one of THOSE. He thought that girls should stand helplessly on the sidelines while the boys got down and dirty. Well...he was in for a BIG surprise, because Susannah Simon does not stand helplessly, no matter how unbelievably sexy the "down and dirty" boys are.  
  
I was still fuming in Physics ten minutes later when the loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life.  
  
"Will Susannah Simon please report to the front office? Susannah Simon to the front office, please."  
  
The class immediately turned to stare at me. Seriously, why do people always do that? I mean, direct all of their attention towards you whenever there's the slightest hint of any private business they can nose around in. It's so ANNOYING.  
  
So I grinned a little. "Aw shucks, Mr. Granger—and I was so excited to hear about how many photons it takes to ionize an oxygen molecule. Oh, well, there's always tomorrow."  
  
That garnered a few chuckles. Mr. Granger looked me square in the eye. "Well Ms. Simon, maybe you can tell me about all the things hope to learn this year in a two page essay, due on my desk tomorrow morning."  
  
Ouch.  
  
Five minutes later, I entered the front office, wondering why the hell I was there. I glanced at the nurse's office, whose door was to my right, and I started wondering about Jesse again. I mean, was he alright? That was an awful lot of blood...he was sexy covered in blood, like some kind of—  
  
Ack, did I just think that???? Get it together, Suze. This stupid crush is getting ridiculous.  
  
The secretary glanced up at me over the rim of her glasses. "Susannah Simon?" she said in a nasally voice.  
  
"That's me."  
  
She pointed briefly to the tall wooden door with "Principal" posted on it, then turned back to what looked like a Danielle Steel book, rolling her eyes. Geez, thanks for sparing me a moment out of your busy schedule.  
  
I knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," came the old priest/principal's voice.  
  
As I pushed open the door, I got a flutter of dread of potentially being in trouble. But I didn't do anything wrong...did I? I mean, I threatened to break Kelly Prescott's fingers...talked back to a couple of teachers...but nothing too bad...  
  
The door finally swung open onto an incredibly neat looking office. Before me, Father Dom sat at his desk, smiling up at me. Then my eyes roamed a little to his left...  
  
...and I froze.  
  
Jesse was sitting on a cushy-looking chair, his legs resting lazily on the corner of Father Dom's neat mahogany desk. He didn't look up at me at all. He was fingering a Rubik's cube, of all things, twisting it in all direction with seemingly no objective. I looked at the smiling principal and then back at the hot guy who was ignoring me, and then back at Father Dom again.  
  
"Um...why am I here?"  
  
He motioned to a chair in front of the desk. "Please, Susannah, have a seat."  
  
I shut the door quietly behind me and sat down, watching Jesse and Father Dom suspiciously. Well it's not like I thought they were going to jump me or anything...it was just a weird situation. I mean...think about it.  
  
So I sat down on the hard, cold chair, not complaining at all about how Jesse got the nice soft one, and about how girls should always get the nice soft chairs. There was a moment of silence during which I wondered once again why the hell I was here...and then I noticed something.  
  
"Whoa, what happened to all the blood?" I blurted out, startling Jesse out of his almost trance-like state of Rubik-dom. "It was gushing out of your forehead a few minutes ago."  
  
"It was cleaned up," Jesse said simply. "It wasn't really as bad as it looked. A little scrape over my eye."  
  
I noticed then a thin, scar-like sliver cutting through his left eyebrow. All that blood came from that little cut? And it was already almost healed? This guy was DEFINETELY a mediator.  
  
"Oh," I said dumbly. "Well...um, good."  
  
"Susannah, are you a mediator?" Father Dom suddenly said.  
  
It didn't quite sink in. The was a split second where you could have heard a toothpick drop onto the carpeted floor. Then what he asked me registered in my overloaded mind.  
  
"A...a what?"  
  
I know, I know...but to find all this after living sixteen years of freakish seclusion...it was too much for one day.  
  
"A mediator," he repeated, looking anxious. "A medium to help the deceased move on to their next life."  
  
My jaw must have been nearly touching the floor at that point.  
  
"Uhhhh...."  
  
"Susannah, just nod your head," Jesse muttered in an annoyed voice. I glared at him, once again miffed. He was back to twisted the Rubik's cube around.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I see dead people."  
  
I heard Jesse snort in amusement. I realized what I said and stifled a laugh, myself. Father Dom ignored our immatureness, and leaned back in his chair, looking content. "I see..."  
  
"I told you she was one, Father D," Jesse said without looking up.  
  
"Are...are you one, too?" I asked Father Dom, the realization suddenly dawning that he might be...  
  
"Yes, I am a mediator as well, Susannah."  
  
Wow.  
  
I mean, really, wow.  
  
I've been lonely my whole life, and suddenly in one day, I find two more freaks like me.  
  
Wow.  
  
I mean, really wow.  
  
Wowowowowowowowowowowow.  
  
K, I'll shut up now.  
  
(A/N: I like the word wow.)  
  
"Geez...I always thought I was the only one..."  
  
He lit his baby blues on me, and I thought vaguely that he must have been quite handsome at some point in his life. He still kinda was, ya know, for an old guy.  
  
"There are many others like us, throughout the world," he said, sounding wise and powerful. "I am glad to have been able to meet Jesse DeSilva, a young man who is excellent at what he does."  
  
I'm sure he is.  
  
"And I would much appreciate it, Susannah Simon, if you too would join our little...how would you call it?... 'mediating team'."  
  
A...a mediating team. Holy cow, there's an actual mediating team.  
  
"Are there more mediators here besides us?" I asked.  
  
"As far as I know, we are the only three in this school."  
  
Three mediators. And possibly more. Hundreds more. Thousands more. I could have possible already met mediators in the past, without even knowing it. Were they all as miserable as me? Well, Father Dom seemed to like being one, anyway.  
  
"Well, Susannah, will you join us?"  
  
HELL YEAH!  
  
"...um...yeah, whatever."  
  
"Excellent." He leaned back in his chair again. "Now, we must first discuss how to take care of Heather. I thought it was alright to take our time with her, but now that she is trying to hurt students, we must end it as quickly as possible."  
  
Jesse tossed the Rubik's cube onto the desk, and I realized with a start that he had actually solved it. "She's targeting Bryce. So, we should get him out of here until we can take care of her."  
  
"Exactly," Father Dom said with a smile. "I'll take care of that, so don't worry. Now...we need to think of an efficient way to deal with Heather."  
  
Well, I could think of one easy way to get rid of the bitch. But Father Dom's eyes might burn off, ya know, owing to the fact that he's a priest and all. Exorcisms don't tend to sit well with the holy folks. So I set aside my rash mediating techniques for the moment.  
  
"Well, why don't we just try talking to her?"  
  
They both turned and looked at me like I had just appeared out of nowhere. Jesse smiled a small, pitying, holier-than-thou smile.  
  
"Susannah...you don't think we've already tried that?"  
  
"The name's Suze," I snapped. "And yes, you may have tried it, but you're both GUYS. I think what Heather needs is a little heart-to-heart girl chat, provided by—"  
  
"Oh yes, you were so kind and understanding to her this morning," Jesse remarked dryly.  
  
I felt my face flush a little. "Yeah, well—well, she was in my way!"  
  
Ok, yeah, that was a stupid thing to say. But I seem to have lost my usual bounty-full supply of wit and humor in the wake of Jesse's glorious (albeit slightly annoying) presence.  
  
"Look, I can be nice when I want to," I hissed. "You don't know me, so don't pretend you do. You have no idea how many dead people I helped back in New York. I'm a helluvagood mediator."  
  
Jesse leaned slowly towards me, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Prove it."  
  
Prove it? PROVE IT?  
  
"I will."  
  
He smirked at me then, and my breath caught in my throat. I hoped he didn't notice my sudden difficulty breathing. "Go ahead. I'll be there to pick up the pieces when...I mean, um, IF you fail."  
  
Father Dom looked between the two of us, then finally shook his head in disbelief. "We are here to work together to help others, not to compete against one another."  
  
"Don't worry, Father D," I said, folding my arms stubbornly over my chest. "I'm here to help others. I can help others. I'm a darn good helper of others."  
  
He sighed. "Well...it was a pleasure meeting you, Susannah...I suppose..."  
  
......he 'supposes'? What, I 'ain't good enough for him?  
  
"I'll write you both passes so you can return to your classes. We will meet again soon to discuss out plans."  
  
I stood up at the same time as Jesse. As we stood side by side, watching Father Dom write out our passes, I was finding it damn hard to ignore Jesse, as much as he was bugging me. I mean, he was emitting so much body heat...and I could smell the faint musky scent of sweat and soap. I suddenly wondered what it would feel like to be wrapped in that heat and that pleasantly male scent, what it would be like to—  
  
"Now children," Father Dom said as he handed us passes. "It is imperative that neither of you try anything on your own. I mean it."  
  
"Yeah, sure," I said. Beside me, Jesse nodded.  
  
"Both of you, promise me."  
  
"I promise," we both said in unison.  
  
Breaking a promise to a priest? I was so going to hell.  
  
A/N: Hmmm...... Once lied to a nun and a priest, all in the same day......I'm going to hell, too! (yay, I can meet Suze there!)  
  
*cough*  
  
Um....k, go and REVIEW now!!!!!!!! 


	3. Barely Alive

A/N: Glad you guys are enjoying the fic! And yes, Jesse is coming out quite annoying...it's something I really didn't plan for, but most things are. Oh well, he'll change.  
  
Mystique Angelique, since you asked, my name is Bianca. Yes, I did indeed make myself an evil demon in my trilogy. And yes, Rebirth will be completed—but you'll probably have to wait till school's out because unfortunately, I don't have much time, and Rebirth takes a lot out of me. Btw, I LOVE your stories!!!! Well, story—I still have to read your sequel. I need to make time, cuz it'll be an all-day thing (love to read them all at once). But I know I'll love that one too!  
  
And Amanda, I love you too. I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS!!!!!!!  
  
o.O  
  
Um.....yeah.  
  
I'm babbling now.....onto the story..........  
  
The Mediators Chapter 3  
  
"He's such a jerk! I mean, being so insensitive at lunch, and then—"  
  
K, so I'll sneak out after everyone's asleep. I already mapped out an emergency escape route out of my room (even though I was hoping it may not be necessary, but hey, Suze never gets what she wants, does she?) That would be, obviously, out the window and down to the ground. Silent, stealthy...of course, getting back up...  
  
"And you'll never believe what he said after that wood fell on Bryce and Jesse! He said—get this—he said, 'They deserve it'. I mean, really—"  
  
What'll I do once I sneak into the school? I mean, it won't be so simple. It never is. Can Heather be reasoned with? Is it possible? Maybe I should bring my mediating stuff, ya know, just in case... I would need a picture of Heather, though. Well, not if she's there. Is she dumb enough to stand in the middle of a circle of candles?  
  
.......probably.  
  
What if she's smarter than she seems?  
  
"—no respect for life!!!! Seriously, can you believe him????"  
  
Then I am screwed.  
  
I turned slowly to Cee Cee, and smiled pleasantly. "Well, why don't you don't ask him out?"  
  
"Exactly, just what I thought you'd say—" She stopped suddenly, opened and closed her jaw like a fish without water, then shut it and stared at me in silent shock.  
  
"Yeah, you heard me, Cee." I dumped all my books into my locker, and checked that my lip gloss wasn't messed up in the little mirror I taped on the inside.  
  
"...I...can't..."  
  
I sighed. After sixteen years of looking out for number one...and Gina...and all lost souls...suddenly I'm now being sucked into the chaotic melodrama that is high school. I realized in that moment that it might be work. Was I ready to try living a normal life while...well, while just NOT being normal? Was it even possible?  
  
I turned to Cee Cee. She was clutching her books tightly to her chest, biting her lip and looking down at the floor. I grabbed her books and pried them from her arms. She looked at me, and the instant our eyes met, I saw something very vulnerable and insecure in them, which was totally contrary to the strong, confident image I had of her. Then she hardened those fierce purple eyes, and stared me down, something most dead people have trouble doing.  
  
"Cee...you've gotta stop hiding behind your books." What's happening???? Suddenly I'm an all-powerful guru on life??? I've only known her a day, I can't change her life!!!!  
  
"You've gotta try and...well, try and experience life. Real life, not just potential colleges and plans for the future. Here, now. Ya know?"  
  
She grabbed her books back from me. "...yeah. Yeah, I know I have issues in the social department. I'm a hermit, alright? I mean, I act kinda happy and stuff...but I know I'm hiding a big part of myself. It's just...tough."  
  
"We're all hiding a part of ourselves," I said, and as those words left my mouth, I saw Heather walk out of the wall behind Cee Cee. Her head turned towards me, and she stared at me, slowly gliding across the hall. It was a dark, accusing stare. She disappeared into the wall across the hall from us, and I saw the corner of her lip curl slightly. I shivered lightly as she vanished from view.  
  
"You're hiding a part of yourself, Suze?" Cee Cee said, cocking her head to the side, and I looked back at her. She was studying me carefully.  
  
I slammed the locker door shut, and I almost screamed as I met Jesse's dark gaze, who had apparently been hiding behind my open locker door.  
  
"Jesse!" was all I could say.  
  
I mean, seriously. Is he stalking me?  
  
There was a slightly weird moment in which I stared at Jesse, Cee Cee fairly ogled Jesse, and Jesse simply leaned against the locker next to mine with his arms crossed over his chest, looking moody. Hey, when Jesse's around, he's the center of everything, isn't he?  
  
Finally, I broke the odd silence with a graceful and witty "Um—erm..."  
  
Then Cee Cee giggled nervously. "You—ah—hah hah...you gave us a fright there—um—J-Jesse!"  
  
"I apologize," he said formally, without any hint of emotion. "But I have a date with Suze, and I must speak with her privately."  
  
A—A—A DATE?????????  
  
Wait, wait—there are many kinds of dates. There are—"Oh, I'm going on a romantic date with my super-hot Spanish boyfriend!" dates. Then there are "Me and my girlfriends are planning a date at Club Abyss!" dates, though that can be taken many different ways. Then there are "I'm gonna be late for my date with the boss to discuss business"...which would be this. Business. Pure business. Deal with Heather. Right. **cough**  
  
"Oh," Cee Cee said, her mouth making a perfect "o". Then suddenly she grinned a really wide grin that looked like it might crack at any moment. "Alright then. I'll see you—tomorrow, Suze."  
  
"Um—yeah. Sure. Totally. Uh-huh. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She turned and walked away stiffly.  
  
...oh god, what the hell was she thinking now??? He used the word "date". "Date"!!!!! As in, "Is Suze going out with that guy?????"  
  
No, Cee Cee, don't leave me alone here!!!!!!!  
  
Jesse turned those haunting eyes of his onto me again. I stared at him for a long, overwhelmed (for obvious reasons) moment. Wondering about different ways I could take the solemnity out of those lonely eyes.  
  
"I'd like to apologize, Susannah," he said suddenly. "I was not very respectful to you in Father Dominic's office. I suppose...we'll have to learn to work together. I'm just used to working alone."  
  
"But—" trouble breathing—"doesn't Father D help? I mean, the whole 'mediating team' thing?"  
  
He shut his eyes and smiled, the kind of smile I could picture hovering over me mischievously, as he—  
  
"He—uh—comes up with those "plans" of his. I come up with my own. They've never failed me yet."  
  
"Oh." I lifted my chin, trying to look like I wasn't about to melt into the floor with a worshipful sigh. "Well, I accept your apology, Jesse."  
  
He lifted his head a bit, and that stubborn piece of hair once again fell over his face, covering his eye.  
  
Why am I noticing all these annoying little details?  
  
"Why, thank you, querida."  
  
Was that sarcasm?  
  
"Um. Sure."  
  
I looked away from him, looking back at the spot where Heather had disappeared into the wall...  
  
"May I accompany you to your house, Susannah?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"May...I...accompany...you..."  
  
I shook my head, maybe a little too hard, and I'm sorry to say that I grinned little goofily. Ya know—school girl crush grin. Puppy love. Ack.  
  
"No—never mind that—I mean—"  
  
Don't panic. Take a deep breath. Oh god—what does that incredibly smug little smirk mean?!?!?  
  
"Sure. Yeah. If you want." I inhaled deeply. "Um, why?"  
  
He uncrossed his arms, and stuck his hands into his pockets, suddenly looking very bored. "I'm going over there anyway. Band practice."  
  
"B-band?"  
  
"Yes. I'm part of a band, with your stepbrother Jake."  
  
Guitar god. Guitar god. With Sleepy. I was suddenly assaulted by mental images of Sleepy banging on the drums, slowly falling asleep and going slower and slower until finally tipping over onto the drums, and I snorted aloud.  
  
"You find that funny?" he asked, giving me a side glance.  
  
"No, no," I said. I couldn't picture Sleepy doing anything other than...well, sleeping. "No...um, what's your band called?"  
  
"Half Alive."  
  
"Oh. Um. How ironic. Cuz. Ya know."  
  
"Yes, I know." He turned away from me, gazing down the slowly emptying hall. "Let's go...this isn't the place for us to talk." Then he chose that moment to toss me a sexy grin over his shoulder. "We need privacy..."  
  
I swallowed. Hard. Was he baiting me on purpose? Oh, god, he so knew. It was so obvious. So freaking obvious. Goddammit.  
  
...oh, well. Like it would work out. Life isn't a romance novel, where everything fits together perfectly. Life is pile of puzzles pieces from millions of different puzzles, and you are lucky if you find two that fit, and stupid if you try to make two pieces fit that won't.  
  
Or something like that.  
  
As we left the building, I turned left to walk home, and Jesse turned right. I stopped.  
  
"Um, my house is this way."  
  
"You're walking?" Jesse was looking at me like I was crazy.  
  
"Well..."  
  
Why was everyone ragging on me just because I don't know how to drive?! It's not my fault! ARRRRGGHHHH!!!!  
  
"I can't drive." So lame! "Um—I come from New York. I couldn't get my license...until...um..." Why do I say "um" so much? "...um..."  
  
"Oh," Jesse said. "Well, I could give you a ride."  
  
My stomach tanked. In the background, I could hear an angelic chorus echoing, singing romantic rhapsodies and sweet nothings. Fireworks...oh god, I was grinning again, wasn't I? JESSE WANTED TO GIVE ME A RIDE HOME!!!  
  
"Um. Ok. Sure," I said. Unfortunately, all that came out was a weird squeak. Yes, I squeaked at Jesse. I SQUEAKED AT JESSE. How much sadder can I get? Please, someone tell me?  
  
Then this weird smile came over Jesse's face. An "I know something you don't know" kind of smile. And I wanted to die right there. What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like such an idiot around this guy? I've met hot guys before, and I never lost it this bad before.  
  
"Well, Susannah," he said slowly, deliberately, rubbing it in my face that I am incredibly lame, "Since your speech seems slightly impaired, I simply must insist that you come with me. We cannot have you wandering the streets in your state, after all—you might hurt yourself."  
  
I recovered from my humiliation enough to smack him over the back of the head (his hair was just as soft and silky as it looked). He laughed aloud—a deep, rich laugh that reverberated in my head, and jogged something in my memory...why does all this seem so familiar? I laughed a little with him, and he held his hand out to me.  
  
"Come with me, querida."  
  
SWOON.  
  
"Don't call me stuff in Spanish," I snapped as I took his hand.  
  
A few minutes later, we were cruising towards my house in a sleek silver camaro. Ah, Sleepy must be so jealous. He's been saving up for one of these things for years. Jesse justified his owning one with some story about his aunt leaving it in her inheritance to him—HA! I'll bet he stole it...  
  
...yeah, ok. I'm fishing for any reason for this guy to not be as perfect as he seems. I can't help it. Because he seems too perfect. Apart from the fact that he seems to have a bit of an evil streak in him, and his overall attitude towards life is cynical and gloomy...but hey, so is mine.  
  
And...he just lit a cigarette...  
  
"You shouldn't do that," I said.  
  
"What, smoke?" He said, taking a long, slow drag. "Why ever not, Susannah?"  
  
"Because. You know. Lung cancer. Bad breath. Trouble breathing. Surgeon's general warning. Death. Plenty of reasons." I crossed my ankles and stared our at the road, realizing I was sounding like the Health teacher. Despite how hot he looked as he held that cigarette between two fingers, his arm hanging lazily out the window, it just...didn't seem right for him. I think I was genuinely concerned for his health.  
  
"Who gives a fuck about death?" he said, and took yet another deliberate drag. He turned and gave me a dangerous looking smile, and blew the smoke out of his nostrils, filling the car with noxious airborne tar. I coughed. My virgin lungs were very sensitive to second-hand smoke.  
  
"Live fast, die young, and have a beautiful corpse? Yeah, I don't feel like having to mediate you anytime soon."  
  
"Are you calling me beautiful, Susannah?" He said, that stupid grin still plastered on his ungodly gorgeous face.  
  
"Wha—no! Don't be getting any ideas—"  
  
"Besides, if I died..." he leaned over, and panic flooded me as he took his eyes off the road, and put them on me, instead. I felt one of his hands snake up my side, skimming lightly over my skin, leaving fiery trails wherever it touched, finally reaching my neck. A cruel smile graced his lips, and he scraped his nails gently against my throat. My stomach dropped as I sensed a hidden threat. "...I wouldn't let you mediate me..." Then he whispered into my neck, "I would haunt you."  
  
For a moment, I felt my heart stop. Dark visions were filling my over- active imagination. Alarms were blaring in my head. Who was this guy, who was so incredibly compelling, so dangerous, and who seemed to be trying to seduce me? Or was he just toying with my mind?  
  
I felt his finger touch my bottom lip, and I blinked in shock. "What do you think you're doing!" I suddenly blurted out, and I put both my hands on his chest (oh man...that's a hard chest...) and shoved him back as hard as I could, which was just enough to get him off of me. "You'll get us both killed!"  
  
He chuckled evilly and put his hand back on the wheel. How long was that? Were we really so lucky that we just happened to stay on the road while he wasn't looking at it or touching the wheel? Did he have some kind of self- driving car? Why did I let him harass me like that? WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON?  
  
"Relax." He took another puff off his cigarette, and I felt like snatching it away from him and tossing it out. But I restrained myself. "I wouldn't kill you."  
  
"Sure you wouldn't. Trying to off the competition, aren't you, Jesse? I'll show you...I'll have Heather out of our school by midnight tonight! HAH!"  
  
........ok, I didn't really say that. But I wanted to. This is what I really said.  
  
"Um.......yeah........."  
  
Assertive, aren't I? Well, I was a way more assertive person before I met him this morning.  
  
"You don't believe me, querida?"  
  
We were now pulling into the driveway of the Ackerman household. As I saw Andy wave cheerfully at us from the open garage, some of my strength magically returned.  
  
"Jesse, don't call me stuff in Spanish."  
  
He put the car in park and pulled the key out.  
  
"And...don't touch me like that ever again."  
  
He turned his dark eyes on me, and his face was suddenly expressionless, a steel mask. He was a different person.  
  
"I apologize for frightening you. My actions were uncalled for."  
  
Then he opened the door, and climbed out. I followed suit, and stood frozen in the driveway, watching him enter the house like he lived there in shocked silence.  
  
Was I missing something here? He just showed me two completely opposing personalities...a strangely formal, respectful, chivalrous guy...and totally evil seemingly suicidal guy.  
  
A chilly breeze kicked up, unusual for the time of year, and I wrapped my arms around myself.  
  
Which one was the real Jesse?  
  
A/N: I know, not much happened. There will be some real developments in the plot next chapter, I promise. BTW, the double personality is a classic symptom of manic depression. I just figured Jesse was a little TOO perfect as a ghost, so I decided to give modern-day Jesse some issues, to compensate for my own insecurities, hah. Yes, he has some very serious issues indeed, as you'll see later on.  
  
Okay, now REVIEW to tell me how much you hate me!!!!!!  
  
TTFN 


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